


Why Can't I Be Close To You?

by QutieMoon



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Asexual Jughead Jones, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 16:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10948428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QutieMoon/pseuds/QutieMoon
Summary: Three time Jughead feels rejected because of his sexuality and one time he does not.





	Why Can't I Be Close To You?

#1 Archie Andrews

“Do we always have to talk about girls?” Jughead asks.

They’re spending their last day of summer playing rummy in the tree house. Archie is struggling to keep his focus on the game long enough to actually play. He keeps going off about how he’s ‘never noticed how pretty Betty is, right Jug?’ or how ‘Hot Cheryl is when she’s being mean.’ Jughead’s called rummy on him after Archie’s last four turns. 

Archie looks up from where he’s been trying to figure out what card to throw away for the last ten minutes while he rambles on about how he ‘doesn’t care about boob size.’ Archie tilts his head, eyebrows pushing together, as he stares at him. Jughead thumbs at the corner of his last card refusing to look away.

“Why wouldn’t you want to?” Archie asks.

“I don’t know,” Jughead shrugs, breaking eye contact to examine the large curving design of the ace of spades.

Archie leans forwards enough that Jughead can see that he has the two matching aces. He wonders if he can get Archie to ‘accidentally’ throw them away. “Aren’t you gonna want a girlfriend? I mean, we’re starting high school!”

Ah, High School. Archie’s been looking forward to this since seventh grade. He’s got this idea that they can actually become popular. Jughead knows for certain that he’ll never be, not with his background. Archie, on the other hand, might just make it. Jughead doesn’t like to think about it. 

Instead, he considers what he knows about having a girlfriend. They’re supposed to be someone you enjoy hanging out with. Someone who’s there for you during good times and bad times. Someone who will make you smile and laugh or just hold you when you need to be sad. 

But that’s what he has Archie for. Archie, who holds his hand as they walk to school every morning. Archie, who orders extra fries so Jughead can finish them when they go to Pop’s for an after school snack. Archie, who gathers him up into a tight hold the moment they meet or part ways. Archie, who’s always there when he needs to escape from his parents.

“No, I don’t think I will.” Jughead rocks onto his knees in order to pluck the aces from Archie’s hand. He adds them to his own cards. “I win!”

Jughead ignores Archie’s grunt of protest as he gathers up the cards. He’s hoping this will be enough of a distraction. That maybe Archie will just forget he ever said anything. “Let’s go again, yeah?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer and begins to shuffle. The movement of the cards between his hands keeps him from peeking up at the squinty-eyed stare Archie is still directing at him. He swallows the lump that’s forming in his throat. He recognizes that look. It’s the ones the teachers give him when he refuses to remove his beanie. The one other kids give him in the cafeteria as he stuffs his cheeks full of food.

He’s never seen Archie look at him like that though. Despite the humidity of the day, Jughead suddenly feels like there's a thin layer of ice covering his skin. 

 

#2 Jason Blossom

It happens a few weeks after his mother has left him behind. He’s just starting to find the projector shed at the drive-in a viable alternative to going home. Recently, he’s noticed Jason Blossom has taken to sneaking off behind the shed at the beginning of the first movie. During the night, people will slink out of their cars, traveling to the back through shadows. 

When they reappear, Jughead has been able to catch a glimpse of little plastic baggies being stuffed into pockets as they check over their shoulders for onlookers. Not too hard for Jughead to figure out what was going on. Not when he’s been watching people leave his house in the same suspicious manner for the last ten years. One day, as the credits start to roll on the final film, Jughead slips out of the projection shed.

“I’m not supposed to deal to you,” is the first thing Jason says when he spots him lingering around the corner. A little part of him is pleased that his rampant drug use has made it back to his father’s ears. Most of him is just disappointed that his only course of action was to bar Jughead from buying.

“I didn’t take you for a Serpent,” Jughead responds. He lets himself lean his shoulder against the shed, arms folding over his chest. He makes sure to keep an easy smile on his face.

Jason frowns, putting his hands into his letterman jacket. “I’m not,” he says, shoulders bobbing once. “But your dad was pretty clear about what would happen if I did. ‘You sell to my son, and I’ll sell your ass to the highest bidder. I don’t care who your rich daddy is.’”

Jughead’s head drags along the wall, dislodging his beanie, as he laughs. He reaches up to correct the positioning. “That’s a pretty spot on impression.”

“I’m still not going to sell to you,” Jason says as his eyes slowly roam down Jughead’s body and then up again. The remaining giggles die in Jughead’s throat. Before he can try again, Jason is drawing a bag out of his pocket. There’s a row of pre-rolled joints lining the bottom. “But I’ll share.” Jason’s tongue swipes over his bottom lip.

“Welcome to my hideaway, then,” Jughead says, stepping away from the wall. He makes a sweeping gesture towards the door, not bothering to check to make sure Jason’s following him.

~o0o~

“So, are you living here now?” Jason asks from where he’s sitting cross-legged on the cot Jughead’s been using as a bed. He’s picking at the ratty sheets with a disgusted curl to his lips.

“Yeah, well it’s better than the alternative,” Jughead shrugs as he sucks in the last lungful the joint has to offer. Luckily, Jason has yet to ask for the baggie back so he plucks a fresh one from it. If he tucks the rest under his pillow for later, well Jason’s too preoccupied with the state of his sheets. 

He can feel his muscles releasing, one by one, as the drug works its way through his body. He sinks into the pillows stacked up behind him. He lets the smoke sit in his mouth before pushing it out in rings. He watches them slowly expand as they float up, into the ceiling. When the last ring dissolves, he brings his attention back to Jason. 

The other boy is watching him. In the dim lamplight, Jughead can see that his pupils are blown and there’s a steady rosy tint his cheeks. His lips are parted and he bites down as his lower lip when he notices Jughead’s gaze flicker to them. Jason leans on on his knees, planting his hands on either side of Jughead’s hips. “That was pretty hot,” he whispers, warm breath wafting along Jughead’s cheek.

Jughead narrows his eyes. He wants to shuffle backwards as Jason leans forwards. To push him back to his side of the bed and out of his personal space. But he’s curious. All Archie talks about is sex and how great it is. Jughead’s just never been interested in seeking it out but here it is being literally dropped into his lap. So, Jughead leans up to meet Jason’s lips halfway.

Kissing, he decides, is nice. That is until Jason’s tongue slithers into his mouth. Startled, Jughead jerks his head back. Which doesn’t seem to faze Jason as he moves to kiss along Jughead’s throat. He notes that those two are pleasant but still nothing he wants to tell Archie about. 

Still, when Jason begins to push Jughead’s shirt up, he quickly takes over, pulling it over his head. He pauses to snake a hand through the neck hole to clamp onto the side of his beanie in hopes that it won’t fall off. By the time the material is lifted from his face, Jason has already unbuttoned Jughead’s jeans. The hand wriggling into his boxers make him shiver, like a bug just scuttled across his shoulders.

His head falls back as a rush of warm pleasure spreads up from his gut the moment Jason wraps a hand around Jughead’s dick. It makes his fingers tingle. His eyes are still open and he can’t help but note the names engraved into the high ceiling. He’s never notice them before and he’s been sitting in this shed every weekend for over a year now. He wonders if they were part employees or other horny teens looking for a place to explore.

Jughead tries to get back into the moment by tugging Jason’s shirt off. He runs his fingertips his stomach. Should he try touching his nipples? According to Archie, not everyone’s into that. Jughead doesn’t really want to touch Jason’s dick so he runs his fingers along the waistband on his sweats, dipping below in what he hopes is a teasing manner.

He can’t help but be distracted by the stain peaking at him of the top of an old movie poster. It kind of looks like the top of a cat’s head. He’s never had a pet before. Perhaps he could get one now to keep him company. He’s brought out of his thoughts by his own moan vibrating through his skull.

Jason has pushed his own pants down far enough that his dick is hanging free. He captures both in his hand, rocking his hips forwards. Jughead finds his own hips moving up in response. He moans again. Jason leans back down to trail kisses along his neck and Jughead’s hands tangle in red strands. This, he decides, is nice. Like the drugs.

~o0o~

“We should do this again sometime,” Jason says as he pulls his pants back up. Jughead shrugs, trying for nonchalant but he can’t help the scowl that twists his lip at the sticky-slick feeling of the sweat cooling on his body. He’ll probably have to sneak into the school locker room to use the showers. He doubts a simple washcloth scrub down in the restroom will do the trick.

“What? Wasn’t good enough for you?” Jason snarls, snatching his letterman up from where it fell onto the ground. The heat is no longer lingering in his eyes. Instead they’ve frozen over into the famous Blossom glare.

“It was nice, I just don’t think it’s for me,” he says, surprisingly honest.

“Men?” Jason asks, offhandedly as he shoves his feet in his shoes.

“Sex,” he mumbles.

Jason turns to stare at him. The confusion marring his face is similar to the look he got from Archie years ago. It makes Jughead’s stomach hurt and the muscles in his upper back tighten.

“Whatever, Freak,” Jason dismisses him as he disappears through the doorway. Jughead hates that he flinches as the door slams shut.

 

#3 Betty Cooper

Jughead grabs Betty by the wrist, removing her hand from where it’s gliding up his thigh. He’s only able to get her name out before she jerks out of his hold. She moves back on the bed, putting space between them. He lets his hand rest in the empty space with his palm face up. He’s hoping she’ll just slide her fingers between his and they can go back to softly making out.

“Are you not attracted to me anymore?” Betty asks. Jughead draws his hand back, fingers curling into his palm. His eyes close as he breathes deeply through his nose. Objectively, he knows he should just say ‘yes’ so they can move on. And he does think Betty is pretty. Her smile brings a warm tingle to his chest. But it’s not the attraction she’s asking about.

He spends too long thinking it over because suddenly Betty is getting off her bed. She walks over to the window, looking out of it briefly before turning back to him. Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest. He can see the way her fingers are digging into her biceps. He wants to kiss them as he gently removes them before she presses them in too hard.

“I just don’t want to have sex.” He forces his voice to remain steady.

“Betty takes a step forward, her arms loosening. “And that’s fine, but you  _ never _ want to have sex anymore.”

Jughead knew it was a mistake to sleep with her the first time. Well, not a mistake. It was nice, in the same way that having sex with Jason was  _ just _ nice _. _ He’d been hoping that it was a fluke. That maybe it was just because he wasn’t into guys. Or, that, he just wasn’t into Jason. But he  _ likes _ Betty. Really really likes her. It just doesn’t change the fact that he’d rather skip straight to the part where they were falling asleep in each other’s arms while exchanging tired kisses.

He gets off the bed to begin pacing the length of it.“I told you, when we started dating, that I wasn’t  _ that _ interested in sex.”

“You were pretty into it for awhile there,” she says, lowering her voice. The muscles in Jughead’s back start to ache, they’re tightening up so much. 

“Well, I’m not now.” He regrets the bite to his voice when he sees the hurt and confusion make her face crumble. He continues to pace through the silence that bubbles between them.

“Did someone hurt you?” 

He stops mid-stride. She’s uncrossed her arms and is stretching them out to him. She’s looking at him like he’s a wounded puppy. Jughead clenches his jaw to keep from screaming.

“No, I just don’t want to  _ fuck _ you, alright?” He spooks himself with how loud his voice is. It leaves his ears ringing in the silence.

“I think you should leave,” Betty finally speaks up.

“Betty,” he tries to get closer but stops when he notices how tightly her nails are pressing into her palm.

“Leave.” Her voice is low and even as she says it. Jughead turns to the door. “No, the window,” she orders.

Jughead just nods. He’s surprised he’s able to walk in a straight line. All the strength has flown from his body. His heart is spluttering in his chest, like it can’t decided if it should break now or wait until he was somewhere safe. He makes it out the window, feet catching on the later with ease. He fumbles three rungs from the bottom and can’t quite catch himself. A few tears spill over as he hits the ground.

 

+1 Veronica Lodge

“You know what’s funny?” Veronica asks as she slides into the seat across from him. Jughead looks up from where he’s been watching the line on the word document blink for the past five minutes. He’s got smears of ketchup from where he’s been mindlessly shoveling food in. Veronica is smiling at him, waiting for an answer.

“What?” he grunts.

“Talking to you about sex.” 

A flush rises to Jughead’s cheeks and his eyes widen. His top lip pulls back as his eyebrows push inwards and his nostrils flare.

“See? That right there. Hilarious.” Veronica says, grin widening. He scowls, picking at the last few fries on his plate. Luckily, he’s already put another order in.

“What do you want?” he says around a mouth full.

Veronica shrugs. “Nothing. Just waiting on an order for pick up. I saw you and well, we’re friends. Right?” She’s still smiling but Jughead knows those dark eyes are analyzing his facial reaction.

“Yea,” he says.

“Good,” she says, leaning back into the seat. “Now back to you and sex.”

Jughead groans, rubbing a finger through the greasy salt on his plate.

“No, seriously! You’re always so dark and brooding. The angst-ridden loner who’s oh so mysterious. Then someone just mentions the word sex,” Jughead has to concentrate so he doesn’t make that face again. “And you look like a kitten who’s just had their first bath. It’s cute.”

“Sex just isn’t my thing,” he says into the straw of his drink. He finds his eyes wandering back to his blinking line. He’s already picturing the look on her face.

“Clearly,” she giggles. “You’re asexual, right?”

He whips his head up to look at her. There’s no disgust or confusion on her face. Just a slightly arched eyebrow and that disarming smile.

“Um, yea?” He’s never actually used the word before. He’s looked it up, after Betty, when he was trying to find out how to fix himself. But he’s never said it to anyone, not even himself. “Yea, I’m asexual,” he says with a smile. It steadily grows, like a weed, until it’s taking over his face.

“Never said that out loud before?”

Jughead shakes his head, “People haven’t been very receptive.”

“Shame,” Veronica says as both of their orders are set down on the table. His on a plate and her in a white paper bag. She draws the bag closer to herself but doesn’t move to slide out of the booth. “My mom’s not home, would you mind if I ate with you?”

Jughead is surprised. Usually, no one lingers after he’s expressed his indifference on sex. “Yea,” he says, closing his laptop and giving her his full attention. “That would be nice.”


End file.
